NORTH CAROLINA COUNCIL FOR THE DEAF AND THE HARD OF HEARING
Quarterly Meeting Minutes
May 8, 2015
9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Joint Forces Headquarters, Raleigh, NC
Members Present:
Elizabeth Belk
Julie Bishop
Alice Chastain
Kevin Earp
Mary Edwards
Dr. Joseph Hill
Lester Latkowski
Johanna Lynch
John Sherwood
Deborah Stroud
Brad Trotter
Ex Officio:
Jan Withers (Present)
DSB Liaison:
Kim Harrell (Present)
Members Absent:
Kathryn C. Aldridge
Wayne Black
Craig Blevins
Timothy Boyd
Rep Hugh Blackwell
Christina Bryant
Rep Beverly Earle
Meredith Kaplan
Meagan Lewis
Ray Lewis
Djenne-amal Morris
Denise Nelson
Senator Bill Rabon
Dr. Rachael Ragin
Senator Jeff Tarte
Tovah Wax
NORTH CAROLINA COUNCIL FOR THE DEAF AND THE HARD OF HEARING
Quarterly Meeting Minutes
May 8, 2015
9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Joint Forces Headquarters, Raleigh, NC
Introductions, Announcements, Approve Minutes from February 6, 2015
February 6, 2015 minutes were approved.
None of the members acknowledged having a conflict of interest or appearance thereof on matters listed on this agenda
Motion 1: Moved by Deborah Stroud to approve the minutes from the February 6, 2015
Council Meeting; Motion Seconded by John Sherwood. Motion passed.
Senior Deaf and Blind Community, Morganton, NC
Barbara Palmento, NCSD Foundation President & Board Member, Senior Deaf and Blind Community
Name has changed to Alder Springs Senior Deaf & Blind Community
· A non-profit retirement community for deaf, deaf-blind and blind seniors located in Morganton, NC.
· Independent living and affordable one- and two-bedroom apartments.
· Goal is to have advanced technologies that will facilitate communication and assure safety and security.
· The North Carolina School for the Deaf (NCSD) Foundation, Inc. in Morganton is the developer and owner of the facility.
First of its kind
· Residential community for deaf & blind seniors in North Carolina or adjacent states.
· Non-profit senior deaf & blind community in United States.
· Residential community for deaf & blind that is adjacent to a residential school for the deaf.
- One-bedroom apartments
- $850.00
- 729 sq. ft.
- Two-bedroom apartments
- $1,200.00
- $ 975 sq. ft.
- Have to be 55 years of age or older to live at this facility
Benefits
· Superior retirement living for deaf, deaf blind and blind seniors
· Unique learning opportunities for residential deaf and deaf blind students
· Mentoring of deaf and deaf blind children by resident seniors
· Net proceeds fund the non-profit mission of NCSD at Morganton Foundation
Note: Those who qualify for Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Social Security Income (SSI), and Social Security Disability (SSDI) will not be able to live in the facility in Morganton, NC. There are a couple of deaf retirement facilities such as New England Homes for the Deaf in Massachusetts and one in Columbus, Ohio that accept deaf individuals who qualify for HUD, SSI or SSDI.
Due to generous donations, the facility will have a community center as well with the second floor surrounded by windows and the center will have an office, arts and crafts room and a small gym.
Senior Deaf & Blind Community
· A non-profit subsidiary of NCSD at Morganton Foundation whose mission is to operate a non-profit residential community for deaf, deaf-blind, and blind seniors in a manner that creates an ideal environment for seniors to flourish. Net proceeds from operations will be returned to the NCSD at Morganton Foundation for its non-profit mission.
North Carolina School for the Deaf at Morganton Foundation, Inc.
· An independent, non-profit corporation established in 1991 with the following mission by Phillip Hailey.
o Enhance the educational experience of students at NC School for the Deaf.
o Enhance work place opportunities for the deaf and deaf blind students.
o Provide scholarships and financial assistance to graduates of NCSD.
o Respond to emergency needs of students at NC School for the Deaf.
NCSDF/SDBC receives no government funds and is not a state agency.
Barbara stated the foundation feels this retirement community will be a homecoming for many deaf seniors and an opportunity to live in a barrier-free communication environment. The retirement community reflects what Dr. Frank Turk, past director of the North Carolina Division of Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, used as an acronym: SPICE to explain to the state legislators progressive programs for the deaf from cradle to grave:
S-Social
P-Physical
I-Intelligence
C-Communication
E-Emotion
Kevin Earp asked if the facility will accept Section 8 vouchers and Barbara replied no. John Sherwood asked if there are any kinds of funding to assist people who do have a low income that do want to live in this community. Answer: No, this will be a place where people can afford the rent for themselves per month.
Jan Withers stated last summer she went to the National Association of the Deaf conference and they had a wonderful presentation about this issue related to funding from the federal government; HUD is the responsible organization under the federal government that does provide funding for people of low income. Leaders from the National Association of the Deaf have started conversations with HUD to educate them on the need for deaf housing. People at the federal government level are now starting to understand why there is a need for a deaf‑only residence.
Kim Harrell asked: are there other established criteria other than 55 years of age and how much money a person needs to be able to live in the community? Answer: Each applicant will have to go through a criminal background check and a credit check just to make sure they could afford living in the community. The criteria is 55 years or older, and the person has to be deaf, deaf blind or blind.
Accessibility at Recreational, Entertainment and Cultural Venues
Jeff Mobley, Hard of Hearing Services Manager, DSDHH
Jeff Mobley and Philip Woodward from Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) who is also the Division of Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DSDHH) Representative at the DHHS Office of Communications have taken on the challenge of ensuring that deaf, deaf blind and hard of hearing individuals have accessibility at recreational, entertainment and cultural venues by following The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Philip has already had the opportunity of being responsible for the Access North Carolina book. He has traveled across the state, talked to personnel at public places, hotels and venues to educate them about access. While working on this project, Jeff and Phillip researched and found in the state of North Carolina most of the venues have very little information on their websites about how to accommodate any type of accessibility needs.
Philip and Jeff developed two guiding tools, one for consumers on how to obtain accessibility when attending cultural venues in a question/answer format. The second is specifically for personnel at the public venues. These two guiding tools are now in the process of being printed; they will be distributed to the division’s seven regional centers and home office. Philip plans to use them as he travels across the state sharing the information.
Jeff and Phillip plan to reach out to the Department of Cultural Resources in order to help promote, educate, and hopefully change the websites.
Johanna Lynch asked if the tools would be available for download from the web site. Answer: Yes, the tools should be on the website.
Domestic Violence: Resources for Deaf and Hard of Hearing North Carolinians
Pat Stivland, Deaf/Deaf-Blind Services Specialist, DSDHH
Pat Stivland displayed the DSDHH web page which has information regarding domestic violence support. Pat also shared a cool tool that was made for victims on this webpage: if a victim is at home looking on the computer searching for resources, and the abuser happens to walk in the room the victim can click on Quick Escape Alert and this will automatically bring the victim to a neutral Google page. As a result, to the abuser it will look like the victim is on a Google page instead of the DSDHH domestic violence webpage, and once the abuser leaves the area the victim can click back to return to the page. Within the page are American Sign Language video segments. Pat Stivland shared some important information about hearing privilege.
Hearing Privilege:
§ Excludes Deaf victim from important conversations (talking to the bank without Deaf person’s knowing)
§ Leaves Deaf victim out of social situations (such as a party or dinner) with hearing people
§ Talks negatively about the Deaf community
§ If Deaf victim calls the police, the hearing abuser interprets to manipulate the situation to his/her benefit
Pat Stivland pointed out that DSDHH is not an expert in domestic violence, but may provide helpful resources to domestic violence victims. DSDHH is a communication access agency that makes it their business to make sure services are accessible so individuals have access to services and communication.
John Sherwood asked if there are there ways of making the web page easier and accessible for individuals with vision loss. Answer: Yes, thanks to the National Deaf/Blind Equipment Distribution Program more people are getting the equipment which has built in accessibility features. So, if someone is working on a regular computer, they can highlight the page to increase the size of the font.
Military Veterans with Hearing Loss
Jeffrey B. Smith, NC4VETS Resource Center Manager, NC Division of Veterans Affairs
Flo Stein, Deputy Director, Community Policy Management, DMH/DD/SAS
Jeff Mobley, Hard of Hearing Services Manager, DSDHH
Jeffrey B. Smith stated his department has been working closely with Flo Stein from N.C. Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services (DMH/DD/SAS) and Jeff Mobley from N.C. Division of Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DSDHH) producing a 112 page resource guide for veterans. This new guide has information regarding resources for veterans who may be experiencing hearing loss. Jeffrey B. Smith pointed out that 65% of veterans indicated having some level of hearing loss due to the severity of their services. Jeffery says he is very happy to have this new partnership with DSDHH so veterans can get the services they need.
Flo Stein talked about what the Department of Health and Human Services is doing to provide services for the veterans, service members and their families and the mission is to make sure they have support and a warm welcome through their transitions. The department has partnered with many to make this happen.
North Carolina Partners:
· NC Department of Health and Human Services (Military Affairs, Office of Governor McCrory)
· NC National Guard
· NC Division of Veterans Affairs
· NC Department of Public Instruction
· NC Department of Commerce
· NC Department of Public Safety
· Area Health Education Centers
· UNC-CH School of Social NC Central University School of Law
· Southeast Addiction Technology Transfer Center
· NC Governor’s Institute on Alcohol and Substance Abuse
· Community Care of North Carolina
· NC Institute of Medicine
· Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 6, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
· Armed Forces Red Cross
· Brain Injury Association of NC
· NC-NAMI Veterans Service Committee
This initiative started out in the Department of Health and Human Services and is called the Governor's Focus Group. Anyone can join at any time.
GOALS
· Develop sustainability and financing strategies.
· Conduct outreach to veterans and their families.
· Provide services and supports through integrated systems.
· Develop workforce and provider capacity through accessible training programs.
· Increase access and decrease stigma.
· Train teachers and school staff, formalize school programs and develop child and family programs.
· Expanded housing, increase employment and educational opportunities
· Conducted needs assessment and explore military/community service collaboration for service members with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).
· Developed technology, communication, media and marketing.
· Enhanced partnership with NC Division of Veterans Services.
The number one goal is to get every service sector to ask the question: have you served in the military, are you a veteran, have you ever served in the Air Force, Army, Navy or Coast Guard?
What We Did
· Got support from the highest level: Executive, Legislative and Judicial Branches of state government and the Military. Governor McCrory signed Executive Order 49.
· Attended Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) meetings and Policy Academies in 2006, 2008 and 2010, 2014 and 2015.
· NC Governors Institute on Alcohol and Drug Abuse provides staff support for the initiative. (Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant)
2008 Successes
· Developed online capability for military and families to find services/resources.
· Trained substance abuse, mental health and primary care professionals to understand the particular needs of Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF/OIF) veterans and their families. Expanded scope to include all service members.
· The number of TRICARE providers increased to 800.
NC Call Center
· Toll-free number
· Currently available 24/7
· Available in English and Spanish
· Links callers to services in government, faith based organizations and community agencies
· Connects to the Nation Lifeline and Veterans Crisis Line. Refers NC callers to REAL Crisis Suicide Prevention Center
DMHDDSAS 2008
· The NC General Assembly approved designation of OEF/OIF veterans and other veterans and their families as a target population.
· State funds may be used for crisis stabilization services.
· In FY10, of 116,449 consumers admitted to local agencies, 3828 or 2.4% were veterans.
NC Institute of Medicine
Ø In 2009, the North Carolina General Assembly charged the North Carolina Institute of Medicine (NCIOM) with studying “the adequacy of mental health, developmental disabilities, and substance abuse services funded with Medicaid funds and with State funds that are currently available to active, Reserve, and national Guard members of the military, Veterans of the military, and their families, and the need for increased State Services to these individuals.”
There is a web page with information for veterans and their families, also a web link at the Division of Veteran’s Affairs where professionals can find information about working with veterans. This national directory was developed at University of North Carolina.
There are many divisions of state government that are trying to do something. Department of Public Instruction has two big programs
Ø Recruiting service members who are leaving the military to the classroom as teachers and takes their life experience to bring into work with children.
Ø Train teachers and school counselors to work with military children.
Flo Stein shared the last thing that happened in the General Assembly and she is hoping DHHS will incorporate the same thing.
Session Law 2011-185, Section 6, GS 122C-115.4
· Each Local Management Entity-Manage Care Organizations (LME-MCO) is to have at least one trained care coordinator person on staff to serve as the point of contact for TRICARE, the NC National Guard Integrated Behavioral Health System, the Army Reserve Department of Psychological Health, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the NC Department of Public Safety and related organizations.